Double-action door closing device



June 2, 1953 a. a. PANCAKE DOUBLE-ACTION DOOR CLOSING DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 21, 1949 HHULIIHIZ ATTORNEY June 2, 1953 H. H.PANCAKE DOUBLE-ACTION DOOR CLOSING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.21, 1949 INVENTOR 52M ATTORNEY e k m M H e H Patented June 2, 1953UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOUBLE ACTION DOOR' CLOSING DEVICE HermanH.-Pancake, Glen Rock, N. J., assignor to American Car and FoundryCompany, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationJanuary 21, 1949, Serial No. 71,870.

9 Claims. (Cl. 21463) a 1 This invention relates to door closing devicesin general and in particular to such devices used in conjunction withdrop bottom mine and-industrial cars. a a a I a Door closing devicessimilar to that shown in my Patent 2,374,155 have been used extensively,but these devices fail to operate properly when cars having mixed sizedwheels are used over the same closing device. Also, occasionall anoperator will purchase a locomotive having excessively low clearancesand such locomotives can not pass over the closing ramp. It is anobject, therefore, of the present invention to provide a ramp which hasa high lift permitting closing of doors on cars having differentdiameter wheels.

' "A further object of the invention is the provi sion of a door closingramp havinga high lift to close the doors of the cars having varyingclearances with respect to the rail top,

A yet further object of the invention is the pro vision of a doorclosingdevice combining rockers and rollers to produce a double actionclosing device of high lift. 4

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to personsskilled in theart from a study of the following description andaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken througha car and showing the same with doors closed and returning over theramp;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of'the device with parts broken away to betterdisclose the construction;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1, anda Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the carwith parts of the closingdevice broken away and showing theparts in raised or doorclosingposition.

j Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen'that the caris of more or less conventional form having side sills 2 supported onaxles 4, which in turn are supported by wheels W adapted to roll onrails R,'the'top surface onlyof which is indicated. The doors D aremounted to swing on hinges 6 between'open and closed positions and whenin closed position are" held by the next rearward door as clearly shownin Fig. 1

The door closing device includes a base member 8 of more or less channelcross-section formed by angle members with outturned' flanges I 'bymeans of which it may be attached to any suitable supporting structureand the upstanding flanges are connected by a plate I2 welded inposition between the angle form members and having parts l4 thereofinclined upwardly and forwardly to provide sloping trackways within thebase member. These trackways are preferably provided with tapered holesIt. It is obvious, of course, that this base member may be shapeddifferently or that the sloping trackways may be formed merely as partof the rigid structure at the dumping pit of the mine.

Y Mounted on the sloping trackways I4 are rockers' I8 of substantiallycylindrical curvature and or bolt 30 extending through the rockersubstang tially at the center of curvature of the rocker sur:

face. The pins or axles 30 also extend outwardly beyond the rockers andthrough slots 32 formed in the 'downturned flanges 34 of the doorengaging ramp member. In order toprovidelgreater wearing surface andreinforcement plates 36 may be slotted and welded t the downturnedmembers 34 with their slots in alignment with the slots 32. Lubricantmay be fed to the rollers 28 by means of fittings 38 fastened in theendpf curvature of the rockers.

' motive.

axles 30 and joining up with passages extending into the roller 28. U Il a The door engaging ramp member is preferably formed with asubstantially flat top plate 40 having its rearward edge curveddownwardly a con siderable amount as at 42 and the entire side edges ofthis plate are welded or otherwise secured to the downturned sides 34previously referred to. It is obvious, of course, that this member maybe formed of a channel without welding, although it is generally cheaperand more satisfactory to weld the parts as shown. Within the downturnedchannel form ramp member are Welded trackways 44 which inclinedownwardly and rearwardly as best shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Thesetrackways may, of course, if desired be pressed into thetop surfacemember 40 instead of welded theretoas shown, or the entire ramp memberwith its trackways may be. cast or otherwise formed. The trackways 44rest upon .the rollers 23 and support the weight of the ramp member sothat the axles 3v] do not normally rub on the edges of slots 32.

Whenthe ramp is in its normal lowered position as shown in Fig. 1, thetop surface is sub? stantially flush with the top of the rail indicatedat Rv and accordingly any locomotive or car can operate thereoverwithout damage to the 1000-. When a car with doors open, however, ismoving forwardly as indicated by the arrowT of Fig. .4, the hangingdoors will strike the down? curved rearward edge 42 of the door engagingramp and move the same longitudinally forward, that is, forward withrespect to the travel of .the car during closing. Movement of the doorengaging ramp forwardly by the hanging doors will cause the rockers 18to rock along theirtracks l4, thereby raising the axle 30 which extendsthrough the rockers adjacent to the center of Simultaneously with thisrocking movement of the rockers the rollers 28 willrolla-along'therampitrackways 4 also lifting the ramp with respect tothe. a'X1es30; such lift and longitudinal movement being permitted bythe slots 32. In this manner the rockers rock on their tracks l4 and therollers 28 roll on their tracks 44 to the position shown in Fig.'4. Inthis manner a high lift isobtained without sacrificing the advantagesof..-increased;resistance obtained by the use of the rockersdil-iand-asfully explained in my Patent 2,374,155. As soon as the doors have beenclosed the rarnpdevice will immediately return to the down* position asshown in Fig. 1, thereby permitting locomotives. or..carswitncloseddoors to..freely pass thereover. Separation of the doorengaging member and base member is, preventedby the axlesor pins 22 and30 passing through the rockers and through the sides of the base memberor ramp member respectively.

1 While the invention has been described more oraless indetail withspecific reference tothe drawings,. it-will be obvious that variousmodifications and rearrangements of parts other than those shownanddescribed maybe. made and all such. modifications. and rearrangementsof..-parts areicontemplated asiall within the scope ofthe followingclaims. defining. my invention.

What is claimed is:

Q1..'In.a.doonclosingdevice, a basemember, a door engaging ramp memberhavinga substantially horizontal flat top and depending side flanges,rollers movably connected to said base member, said connectionsincludingaxles extending. through said. rollers. and through elongated slots. insaid. depending side .fiangea. and means facesformed on saiddoorengagingramp and movably. supported .on said. rollers. duringlongitudinal movement of. said ramp.

a3...In .a .door closingdevice, .a base .member, upwardly and forwardlyinclined surfaces formed on said. base member, rockers resting onsaidinclined suriacesior rocking movement relative thereto,.rollers.carriedby said rockers remote from. the rockingsurfaces. thereof,.a door engaing-ramp, positioned .above..saidlbase member, downwardly andrearwardlvin'clined surfaces formed on said.door engagingrarnp andsupporting. the sameon said rollers, means connecting said ldoorengaging ramp and rollersffor relative longitudinal movement, and.additional means connecting said rockers and base member to limit therocking movement" therebetween.

"4. In :a 'door'closing device, a base-member, upwardly and forwardlyinclined surfaces formed on-said base member, rockers resting-on saidinclined surfaces for rocking movement "relative thereto, 'rollerscarried by said rockers remote from'therocking surfaces thereof, a doorengaging ramp positioned above said base member, downwardly andrearwardly inclined surfaces formed onsaid door engagingrampand-supgporting the same on saidtrol'lers'. andgpin and slot connectionsbetween :said door .engaging ramp and said rollers and between saidrockers and said base member.

5. In a device for closing a car door, a base roller devices supportingsaid ramp, said rockers'being movablealong said trackways on said base:member and said rollers being movable along the trackways on said rampto cause verticaland longitudinal movement of the ramp-while engaged-bythe .door. in passing over the ramp.

.6...In .a door closing device,-.a basemember, trackways formed on saidbase member,.a door engaging ramppositioned. above said base member,trackways .formed .on said door engaging ramp, substantially.cylindrically curved rockers bearing ononeof-said trackways and rockablethereon, and. rollers, pivotally. mounted on... said rockers adjacentthe .center. curvature thereof and bearingon the other of said trackwaysand rollabletherealong, said rockers. andv rollers togethersupportingsaid ramp. onsaid-base memher.

7. In a door closing .devicerabase member,.a trackway: formedcon.saidbase member... a. door engaging. ramp, positioned above said. basemember, a track-way. formedonsaid .door engaging ramp, asubstantially:cylindrically curved. rocker bearing on the trackway or"the-base-member and rocltable thereon, an axle. extending from-saidrocker. substantially .in alignment with the center of curvature of therocker, and a roller. rotatably mounted on said axleand rollableon thetrackwayof thedoor engaging ramp.

- 8.: In a door closingdevice, abasetmemben a trackway formed on saidbase member, a' door engaging ramp, positioned above said. basemember,:.a.-trackway formed on saiddoor engaging ramp, a substantiallycylindrically. curved rocker bearingcon the trackway of the .base memberand 'rockable thereon, an axle: extending from said rocker.-substantially in 1 alignment with the center of curvature of therocker,-and aroller rotatably mounted on. said axle and bearing onthe-trackwayof the-door engaging ramp, said axle-extendingthrough-aslotted, portion of i the door" engaging ramp whereby the rampisconnectedto. said rocker butmay have'longitudinal movement relativethereto.

.'9.:"In=-la. doorclosing device, .-a base member, a doorengagingrampmember spaced above said base; member, a rocker member movablybearing-..-on said base. memben'and a roller member movablybearing on'said' ramp member and connected '.-to said rocker member and movabletherewith, .said rocker and :roller togethersupporting said-rampmemberonsaid base member for longitudinal and vertical movement relativethereto.

.. HERMAN H.. PANCAKE.

*Beferences'Cited in thefile'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number.Name .Date

305,555 -Williams 'Sept..'23, 1884 11,170,077 Lowry Feb, 1,.19161,854,283 .Walter Apr. 19, 1932 1,876,637 Dietrichson Sept. 13, 19322;374,155 Pancake Apr. 17, 1945

